Ann's Clear Thoughts Blog

If your organization is at all on top of things, your production line is lean and mean. The processes used to produce and deliver value for which customers are willing to pay are well-defined and reliable. You measure productivity in widgets per hour and expect 99.9% uptime and nearly zero defects. Priorities are clear. Routines are well-established. Roles are well-understood. Employees know exactly what to do, how, how well, with whom, when, and in what order. When necessary, they make decisions with confidence and without delay because they understand the objectives, options, and trade-offs, they have appropriate authority, and they know where to turn for additional information. In other words, they are Radically Clear. As a result, they are ultra productive. This is the region marked by the letter A on the graphic.

Now consider what happens outside that region. As you move away from production and into ‘The B Zone,’ clarity takes a dive! And with it goes productivity! (more…)

I finally got a FitBit and I can’t resist sharing what I’ve learned–the good, the bad, and the ugly.

First of all, I love the hourly reminders to get up and move if I haven’t walked 250 steps in the hour. I smile when I earn fireworks and silly badges for hitting 10,000 steps and exceeding my other goals. I was tickled pink the first time I wore it hiking and watched more than 21,000 steps, 11 miles, and 158 floors tick by. I love the fact that I am using it to push my activity and heart rate levels.

But then there was the day I worked at my desk all day. The weather was lousy. I had lots to do. I was so engrossed, the hours slipped by. I didn’t get up each hour to move. I ran out of time to exercise. Pretty much the only calories I burned are the ones attributed to living and breathing, not moving. Instead of my usual 20 – 40 floors, I climbed only 8. I took fewer than 3000 steps. My heart rate may never have broken 60 bpm. I just kept working. And the resulting numbers made me sick.

Strategies fail more often than they succeed. Occasionally it’s because they are stupid strategies. Most of the times the cause is a lack of clarity – a lack of specificity about where you are headed, how you will get there, and what must change. Consider these examples of typical failures: (more…)

Since it is summer reading season, I thought you would like to know that my daughter’s trilogy is on sale this week for just $.99 each. I think she is a wonderful writer, but I could be biased! Nonetheless, at this price, you can’t go wrong, can you?

If you like adventure, Vikings, Norse mythology, hearty characters, and a dash of fantasy, these could be just what you are looking for!

If you read any of her books, let me know your thoughts! Better yet, post a review on Amazon. That is what young writers desperately need to get their credibility ball rolling. Every review helps, even one word reviews. Did you know that Amazon won’t accept reviews from mothers and other close family members? I didn’t either until mine disappeared. The nerve! 🙂

While we are talking about books and honoring the familial fiction gene that clearly skipped me, my brother’s 15th thriller is now available for preorder. I like his books too and can’t wait until August 1st when this new one arrives at my doorstep.

For those of you with no time for fiction, here are some of my recent Forbes posts that you may have missed:

As you undoubtedly know, my passion is clarity. And I’m on a mission to stamp out the confusion that erodes profits, productivity, and morale in companies like yours. Today, I want to share a couple of stories that demonstrate the power of clarity. Specifically, the power of clarity to empower! These stories involve competent, dedicated employees. People just like you. People who could have been empowered by clarity. But weren’t. People who suffered, while wasting time, thanks to a lack of clarity.

A coaching client of mine recently bemoaned the fact that he had been waiting three weeks for feedback from his vice president on his marketing plan. I asked him what he had asked for. He had asked her to review the plan. I asked him what he needed. He needed approval to implement. He hadn’t asked for what he needed! That’s not clarity! And it empowers no one!

When I hear The Star Spangled Banner, whether at a hockey game or on the 4th of July, a tear or two of pride and appreciation for the sacrifices of others appear in the corner of each eye. Today, as red, white, and blue pop up everywhere in preparation for the nation’s birthday party, my feelings are more complicated. Frankly, I am quite horrified by the divisiveness in which we seem to be swimming, maybe drowning.

Strength, wisdom, and greatness come from finding common ground and working with others to make things better.This is true for individuals, businesses, families, and governments. Making it happen for businesses and non-profits is basically what I do for a living. United we stand, divided we fall. Furthermore, we need all the brain power and cooperation we can get.

But it isn’t happening in the US right now. I’m not seeing any effort to find common ground. Nor to formulate some kind of shared vision for what we want this country to be. I’m not seeing an effort to work together either, though we will never, ever agree on how to make things better if we don’t first agree on what “better” looks like. (more…)

Clarity improves productivity, determination, and engagement. I hope that much is obvious.

Unfortunately, you don’t see the disclarity you’ve always lived with. It’s like being in a smoky room. Or a house that smells like last night’s dinner. You get used to it. It’s not until you leave and return from the fresh air outside that your nose crinkles.

Disclarity works the same way. It is hard to recognize without that contrast. And, if it surrounds you, if it permeates your organization’s activities, where is the contrast?

Many people experience snippets of clarity here and there while at work, but few stop to examine what just happened. Instead, they are delighted with the speed, the answers, and the progress. Those who attend sessions I facilitate are amazed by how much we accomplish. Once you witness sufficient examples of clarity driving rapid progress and creating strong commitment, you start to recognize the level of disclarity surrounding you. These are the readers who write me and beg me to fix their companies. These are the CEOs who call on Monday morning. They feel it. They are frustrated by the disclarity. But they know that no matter how clear they are, they aren’t in a position and don’t have the ability to synchronize the thoughts and energy of others in order to create the amazing speed and buy-in that results from clarity. (more…)

While flying back to Boston after business in Chicago this week, I was admiring the fields and trees far below sporting that wonderful spring green. The sun was shining. It looked like a lovely day.

Then the pilot came on and announced that we were cruising above 31,000 feet and the temperature outside was 2 degrees below zero.

The contrast between that spring feeling and his announcement was a shock. That we could be in such a different place while flying over springtime just didn’t seem possible in that moment. Of course, I wasn’t surprised, once jolted from my reverie.

But it made me think of all the times people get lost in their assumptions every day. Assumptions more important than the weather. Assumptions about people and their intentions. Assumptions about the causes of problems while leaping to irrelevant solutions. Assumptions about objectives while arguing alternatives. Assumptions about communication when talking without listening. (more…)

Leaders Rave About Ann:

I’ve done a lot of strategic planning, board retreats, and other facilitated activities, and I’ve never worked with anyone else who comes close to bringing the same value to the table as Ann Latham does.

I would readily recommend Ann. She is extremely effective in leading a group in strategy and problem solving. She is also flexible and easy to work with. I found this to be true during our planning and our two days together as a group.

Leaders Rave About Ann:

I’ve done a lot of strategic planning, board retreats, and other facilitated activities, and I’ve never worked with anyone else who comes close to bringing the same value to the table as Ann Latham does.